The Five Body Safety Rules

A great place to start with body safety education for children is the five body safety rules.
The rules are as follows:

My Body Is Mine
I am the boss of my body. I don’t have to be hugged, kissed or touched by anyone if I am not okay with it. I can say “NO!” to a touch I don’t want.

We Use Proper Names For Our Body PartsThey are not weird or funny – everyone has them.

We Don’t Look, Touch, Or Play Games With Each Other’s Private Parts
Private parts are the parts of our bodies covered by a bathing suit and are kept out of view.

No One Should Be Asking Me To Keep A SecretEspecially if it is about private parts. There is a difference between good secrets and bad secrets. Good secrets make people happy, like if your parent asks you to keep your grandma’s birthday present a secret to surprise her. It is okay to keep that secret.Bad secrets are when someone touches us in an unsafe or confusing way. They might ask you to keep it a secret, and might be extra nice, or give us presents to keep the secret. That is a bad secret, and it is not okay to keep it.

My Body Safety CircleI know 5 people I can talk to if I am sad, scared, and especially if I need to talk about body safety! If someone breaks a body safety rule, I need to tell until someone helps me. Even if I don’t tell right when it happens, I won’t be in trouble.

It is important to emphasize to children that it is never their fault if someone touches them in a way they do not want. It is also a good idea to discuss that there may be instances in which a trusted adult who helps take care of children may need to touch a private part to help them stay healthy and clean, such as going to a doctor, taking a bath, or changing a diaper.